AMHERST - After a drill, University of Massachusetts basketball coach Derek Kellogg has a simple message for guard Trey Davis during Thursday’s workout.

“Keep it simple,” Kellogg says. “Just lay it up.”

On a team that’s garnered most of its hype because of its experience, Davis, along with forwards Izzy Freeman and Tyler Bergantino, are three freshmen who are looking to help in supporting roles as UMass looks to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.

The first step for the newcomers, according to Kellogg, is to acclimate to the speed of the game, and how much effort they’ll have to put forth to merely keep up.

“They have to learn how hard you’ve got to play, how you’ve got to compete and get after it,” Kellogg said.

It’s not an overnight process, either. Though all three freshmen were on campus participating in workouts this summer, Kellogg said it takes much longer to complete the adjustment from high school to college basketball.

“It can take a whole season at times,” Kellogg said. “I think young kids, they continue to learn and get better as the season goes on and really I’m not sure if they know how hard they have to play until halfway through the season.”

Both size and speed have proved to be obstacles for Bergantino, a Springhill, Fla., native.

“I’m working harder than I ever have in my life … I’m used to going against guys that are 6-4 or 6-5, and now I’m going up against Cady (Lalanne) and Izzy,” Bergantino said. “I was one of the fastest players on my team in high school, and now I’m probably one of the slowest.”

Kellogg said that Davis is the most likely of the trio to see significant playing time because of how thin the team is at point guard.

“We’ve got Chaz (Williams) and really nobody who’s played much backup, so I think he really has a chance of playing the most,” Kellogg said.

Davis, a Dallas native, said that Williams and Jesse Morgan were his biggest influences as he made his adjustment to life at UMass both on and off the court.

“Wherever they go they take me with them,” Davis said. “They just want to see me get better, and I respect them for that. … As the months have gone by, I’ve learned that these dudes are my brothers. They’re just like family.”